The Real Deal
by The Masked Mistress
Summary: Naoko's stories hold more truth than anyone knows, as Teri, Melody and their friends find out. Told in first person pov, first Teri then Melody for the rest of the story.
1. Default Chapter

**Okay, this'll be my third fanfiction, not counting my poem or songfic, so I'm feeling pretty confident -. Actually this first chappie was written by a good friend of mine that I don't get to see all that often anymore, so if she's reading this, this fic's dedicated to you girl! Oh, speaking of her, this is in her point of view, the next chappie will be in her POV, mine starts next chappie .**

Chapter 1: An Unexpected Revelation

I groan and roll over, pulling the blanket up over my head. I didn't want to get up. It's cold, and I'm tired...but the alarm is going to go off any second and...oh! There it is. That annoying electronic beep that gradually gets louder and louder until you can't stand it anymore. How can anyone sleep through that? I wonder when I hear an echoing alarm from my brother's room as I get up. As soon as I am dressed I stomp, barefoot, to his door and push it open. I unmercifully flip on the light and glare at the awakening, groaning boy, "Every morning BJ? Why do you even have an alarm clock? To tell me to wake you up?!"

I go out the door and start to close it; "You better get up! I'm not coming back in here!" I say, knowing feel well that I probably will. I go into the restroom to finish getting ready and as I'm doing my hair I stop and look at my reflection. Every once and a while I wonder, is that really me? I get this weird feeling that it's not...I roll my eyes and shake my head, quickly brushing my hair out.

That's pretty silly. Of course it's me! I mean...who else would I be?

I go back to my brother's room and open the door to find him asleep, again, "5 minutes BJ!" That does it. He gets up and shuts the door in my face, calling me a few choice words. I ignore it and go into the living room to get my shoes before sitting down and putting my socks on. I'm tying my shoes when he comes out of his room. I yell at him to hurry up and he tells me to shut up.

I roll my eyes and finish putting on my shoes. Oh well, he'll probably get a ride to school anyway. I go to my dad's room and let him know I'm going to the bus stop. I then turn to see BJ come out of the bathroom, "Is Danny giving you a ride?" He goes past me and for a second I wonder if he is even going to answer me when he does, throwing a "Yeah." over his shoulder.

I frown at him and grab my backpack, then head out the door, idly petting out dog on the head, "Morning Princess!" to begin what I know will be a normal day.

School is fun, but not because I have to go to class. School is fun because I get to hang out with three of my best friends! They're the greatest people I know. There's Ryan, he's a Senior like me, and Tassie, a Junior, and Melody, a Sophomore. **(A.N. Ok, just so you guys know, in this I'm Melody, but that's not my real name. Ok, on with the story!) **They're cool. We hang out every day, in the morning, at lunch, and then at the end of the day in front of the school.

Today, I decide to go with Melody to her locker after school, and from there we went to Ryan's locker to meet up with him and Tassie. As soon as I see them I smile and stand beside Ryan. We joke around and tease each other as we walk down the hall; I tell Ryan that I love him, and he says, "I know." I think that's his way of saying he loves me too. He doesn't say the actual words very often, but I know he cares.

I am so involved with my friends that I don't notice the hall we're walking through is completely empty. There's no one around except us. I stop to get a drink of water and let the others go on outside. I know they'll wait for me out there. I adjust my backpack and go outside, only to stop short and stare with wide eyes at the scene in front of me.

There are kids all over the place, passed out, I hope, and there in front of me, with its back to me, is an obviously female monster with long, vine-like arms. And there were my friends and the creature's vines were around their throats. The monster cackled, "Give me your sweet energy!" Without thinking, I drop my bookbag and jump at the creature, pulling on what I suppose is its hair as hard as I can.

It shrieks and drops Ryan and the others to put its attention on me. It throws me off and turns to glare at me. I look at my friends to make sure they're ok and notice that they seem weaker, as if the demon had really stolen their energy. Before I know it, the monster is on me and holding me down as it snarls, "Stupid girl! You would risk your life, and for what? These puny humans?!"

I struggle to get free, "Shut up! They're my friends! I'd do anything for them!"

The creature smiles dangerously, "Would you give your life for them?"

I stop moving and don't say anything. Not out of hesitation, but out of realization. My voice is soft and full of wonder, "Yes, I would."

I don't know it, but as I say those words, a crescent moon begins to shine on my forehead. It becomes so bright the monster jumps away from me as though it's burned. Ryan, Tassie and Melody watch with wide eyes, as a light becomes a cocoon-like orb around me, so bright that they couldn't see me. Tassie mutters "No way..." when the light explodes into feathers and leaves me standing transformed.

My hair had become longer, coming down to about my knees, and was up in heart-shaped buns and a shimmering silver color. My eyes had turned to a mid-night blue, and...I'm shorter. I can tell I'm a little shorter than Ryan, where as before I had actually been taller than him.

I forget all about the monster as I check myself out. The regal dress I'm wearing fits my new petite form like a glove! My memory's weird too, like there's two versions of every memory I've ever made. One how I used to look, and one in my new form. Like reality itself has changed to accept this new me.

My attention is brought back to the monster when it yells, "Who are you?!"

I don't hesitate to answer, "I'm Princess Serenity," My eyes shift to my friends for a moment before going back to the creature with a glare, "And you hurt my friends."

The monster snarls and launches itself at me out of desperation. I lift my hand and a familiar moon scepter appears there. I call out, "Moon Princess Halation!" directing the attack at the monster. It screeches and crumbles to dust, returning the energy it stole to the owners.

Ryan, Tassie and Melody stand and walk up to me. Melody looks at me as though I'd grown horns, "You're really Princess Serenity?"

I smile wryly, "Yeah...I guess so..." I hear some of the other kids starting to wake up and my eyes widen.

Ryan seems to take the hint, "Come on." He says before leading the way to his car. We all pile inside and he quickly pulls out of his parking space and away from the school. Without looking at me he asks, "What the hell happened back there?!"

I look away and shake my head, "I don't know...Please Ryan, let's go somewhere...we can talk about it there..."

Ryan glances at me, "Where do we go?"

I tilt my head, "Alexis just moved into her apartment, we can go there." Alexis is a good friend of mine that's already graduated. She works at the local Applebee's and like a lot of the same stuff I like.

He nods and I tell him how to get there. As soon as we get inside, Alexis all the while staring at me and trying to get me to tell her what happened, Ryan turns to me, "Now, what exactly happened back there? And why do I have memories of this you, and the old you?!"

I sigh and sit down, "I'm really not sure Ryan..."

Tassie looks at me, "But you know you're Princess Serenity, right?"

I nod. Melody smiles widely, "I knew it wasn't just a story! I just knew it! This is so cool! I'm actually FRIENDS with Princess Serenity! This is like a dream come true!"

Alexis pipes up for the first time, "So does this mean you're Sailor Moon too?"

I'm about to answer with the now customary "I don't know." when a new voice interrupts, "Of course she's Sailor Moon!"

We look for the source of the voice and my eyes go to the window. There sits a black cat, looking back at me. Wait...black cat...with a crescent moon bald spot... "Luna?"

The cat picks up something in her mouth and jumps into the room; I watch as it walks up to me, "Of course it's me! Who'd you think I was, Artemis?"

I blink and stare at her, "What's going on Luna? How am I Sailor Moon, or Princess Serenity for that matter?"

She hops up to the coffee table and proceeds to explain, "Do you know the story about the Silver Millenium?" Melody, Tassie, Alexis and I nod and Luna continues, "Well, for the most part, it's all true. Your mother sent you and the Scouts to be reborn here. Disguised until your true selves awakened. She also sent me to be awakened when you were. Artemis will awaken when we find Sailor Venus."

It's beginning to make sense, but one thing doesn't add up, "What about the stories Naoko Takeuchi writes?"

Luna shakes her head, "She doesn't know it, but she receives the stories from the enemy, so the real Scouts won't believe in their own power." Melody leans forward, "Wait, you said enemy, like that monster at school?"

Luna frowns at her, "You should not even be here."

I frown, "Don't speak to her like that Luna; without them, I would never have found my power."

Luna looks embarrassed and apoligizes before clearing her throat and pushing the object she'd brought with her towards me. It's a brooch and inside is the Imperium Silver Crystal. I gently brush my fingers against it and feel filled with a soft, reassuring warmth. It was the same feeling I felt with Queen Serenity, my mother. I can remember her...

"Go on Princess, call out 'Moon Crystal Power!' "

I look at Luna and then at my friends, "Do it Teri." Tassie urges, Melody nodding in agreement. Alexis smiles and Ryan looks at me in confusion.

I stand up and look down at the brooch, "Moon Crystal Power!" Suddenly I'm filled with warmth and feel light as a feather. All my friends can see is that softly glowing orb of light around me but inside it, soft ribbons had surrounded me. Across my arms they disappear to be replaced by white gloves and down my legs they become red boots. The body of the sailor fuku was white and the ribbons formed the red bow that the brooch is clipped to. With a flash the blue skirt appears and to finish the transformation, my tiara covers the crescent moon when it appears. To me, the transformation had taken time, but to everyone else, it had been less then half a minute.

I lower my hands and look down at my uniform. Without hesitating I turn and walk into Alexis' bathroom and look in the mirror. I smile softly; yes...this is me...

- - - - - - - -

"What?!" I shout when I'm finished reading the letter that came with a rather large box. It's Friday and Dad's at work. BJ's at a friend's and Luna and I are sitting at home when the mailman drops the package off.

Yes, Luna's staying with me. I think she did something to my dad because he hates cats and otherwise would have never allowed her to stay. Luna hops onto the desk, "What is it?"

My eyes wide with horror, "It's a uniform! For school!"

Luna coughs and looks away. I narrow my eyes, "Luna...what did you do?"

Luna huffs, "I won't lie. I created a program on the moon's computers to influence your administrators a little bit. I've seen your room, you need some organization in your life."

My hands clench, crumpling the paper, "So, you made everyone get uniforms at my school, to teach me organizational skills?"

Luna looks sheepish and turns her attention elsewhere, "Well...not just your school..."

My eyes widen, "What!?"

She winces, "I accidentally left the program running a little longer than it needed to..."

I groan and sit down, "How many schools Luna?

She hesitates to answer, "Most of Northern Indiana..." **(A.N. Yes, in case you couldn't figure it out, that is the region where I live, all corn, cows and soy beans rolls my eyes) **

I shake my head and cover my eyes. Luna says with an air of indignation in her voice, "Well, at least look at it!"

I sigh and open the box. Inside are uniforms for BJ and me, and they looked like the Infinity College uniforms, the ones I liked.... "Well, they're not that bad..."

**A.N. Alright! First chapter done! For those of you that don't know what the Infinity College uniforms look like, they consist of a white dress shirt and a deep red overcoat, with a green-and-blue plaid skirt for the girls and slacks for the guys in the same colors. Well, R&R please!**


	2. A Day At the Beach

**Okay, just so you guys remember, from now on, the rest of this story's gonna be in my (Melody's) viewpoint. Onto the next chappie!**

Chapter 2: A Day at the Beach to Remember

I stare down at the box that holds 3 uniforms in it, one for me and one for both of my younger brothers, "Zac! Get in here! You're not going to believe this!"

My thirteen-year-old brother comes into the room and stares at the box as well, mumbling under his breath, "You're kidding me..."

I sigh, shaking my head while looking to the ceiling, "The administrator's have gone nuts."

Zac groans, holding up his jacket, which looks like it was about two sizes too small for him, "I'm gonna look like even more of a dork than before!"

I hold up my skirt, "At least you don't have to wear this. I hate skirts!"

Zac snickers, "You're gonna have to actually dress like a girl."

I roll my eyes, "Shut up dorkboy. At least I won't look like a blimp."

At this Zac sticks his tongue out at me and leaves, without his uniform. I sigh, gather it and Caleb, my 10-year-old brother's uniform up and go to hang them in their closet. I then go and hang mine up; shoving it in the very back of my closet in an attempt to forget it exists. I then shut my door and hop on my bed, figuring a little 'me' time was in order. I lean against the wall and put my hands behind my head. "So much has been happening lately. Teri turning out to be Sailor Moon, Luna appearing, now these stupid uniforms. I wonder who the other Scouts are. Luna said the enemy gave those stories to Naoko so the real Scouts won't believe, so they probably watch the show, or read the manga. So maybe we could organize a party for Sailor Moon fans, and they might show up...but there'd be no guarantee, plus how would we know?" I think out loud to myself.

I sigh and close my eyes, suddenly remembering what Luna had told me that afternoon that seems like ages ago on, 'You should not even be here.' She wasn't even angry or anything, it was like she was stating a simple fact, like telling me the sky was blue or something. I think that's what hurt me the most, that she said it so calmly. I'd grown up knowing her and the Sailor Moon story, now my best friend was Sailor Moon, and I'm stuck in the role of Molly. I growl, this is so unfair! I pick up the phone, I may not be a Scout, I decide resolutely, but that doesn't mean I can't help, or at least still hang out with Teri.

I hurrily dial her number and wait for someone to pick up. After a couple rings, Teri picks up, "Hello?"

"Hey Teri, it's Mel. Hey, I was just wondering if you wanted to go hang out somewhere?"

I hear a voice with a English accent ask, "Teri, who are you talking too?"

I strangle a chuckle when Teri respond, "Nunya. I'm still mad at you." Before turning back to our conversation, "Ok, sure, wanna go to the library?"

I think about the silent place where the librarians are adamant about the 'quiet rule'. "Umm...no, let's meet at the park. I feel like being able to talk more then two words without being shushed."

She laughs, "Good point. Ok, meet you there." before hanging up. I hang up as well and then go to ask my mom to drive me over to the park.

I arrive at the park and wave good-bye to my mom before turning to see Teri jogging towards me, a familiar black cat running beside her. "Hey Teri, what's up?"

She stops in front of me and smiles, shrugging, "Not much, you?"

I sigh, "Same here. Just trying to forget how big of an idiot the administrative system is."

She winces, "You got yours today too?"

I take a deep breath and nod, commenting, "The administrators are nuts. Half the school isn't going to wear those things!"

"And why not?" Luna asks indignantly.

"Because, Luna, they're uniforms. That's why. Uniforms and teenagers never mix well." I say in an exasperated voice.

Teri nods in agreement, looking at Luna with what I can only describe as an accusatory scowl. Luna clears her throat before saying, "Would you girls mind going somewhere a little less open? If people see you talking to a cat, they might wonder."

Teri and I shrug and seek out one of the nearby benches closest to the lake that was the basic reason why the park was there, facing so we were looking out over it. We sit there, Luna on Teri's lap. I look down at Luna, shaking my head, "To think, just a few days ago you were nothing more than an animation to me. I had no idea you or any of the Scouts really existed. Luna, who's the enemy? I know I'm not a Scout, but I know I could help if you'd let me try."

Luna huffs and is about to say something when I notice something off shore. I squint against the setting sun, trying to tell what it is. My eyes widen as I realize and turn to push Teri out of the way. "Look out!" I yell as I push, just seeing her fall off the bench when a column of water slams into me full force, sending me flying backwards through the bench and skidding to a stop on the sidewalk behind it. I cough up water, trying to breathe as I look with horror back to Teri.

The grotesque thing that I'd seen on the lake is now standing where I'd been seconds before, sucking the energy right out of her. Still coughing, I somehow am able to get to my feet, stumbling towards them, "No, this can't be right. She's Sailor Moon! She's supposed to protect everyone, not die during her second fight!" I shake my head and steady myself; "I can't let that happen! Not without a fight!" I think before leaping on the 'woman's' back, fighting tooth and nail, literally, to get her to drop Teri. "You let her go, you bad excuse for a fish bowl! Do it before I get really ticked off!"

The monster turns its head to glare at me, smirking evilly. Then, in a move that I could never duplicate, it somehow jumps off of Teri with me still on its back and then situates itself so it was on top of me as we slam into the beach below. I land on my back and groan; I would scream if I could get enough air. I feel the energy slowly being drained from my body.

As one can imagine, I panic and my hands frantically search for something, anything to get it off of me. Finally, in desperation, I resort to a handful of sand, throwing it into the thing's eyes and temporarily blinding it.

First I take a couple of deep breaths before doing my best to sprint over to Teri while the monster screams in pain. I pant a bit, looking at Luna, "How is she?"

Luna sighs, "She's alright for now, but if that monstrosity gets another go at her...I don't know if she'll make it."

I look at Luna, then at Teri, gritting my teeth a little, "She'll make it, I'll make sure of it."

Luna looks at me; "You can't be serious! That thing will tear you to shreds! You're just a normal girl, you don't stand a chance against it!"

I smirk, "Yeah, I know, but hey, haven't you ever heard of miracles?" I half-joked before growing serious again, "Luna, I want you to do whatever possible to get Teri away from here. You know as well as I do that she's meant for greatness."

Luna eyes look pleadingly at me, "But what about you?"

I smile and turn as the thing starts to recovers, "Me? I'm just a Molly. Now get out of here, I'll hold it off for as long as possible." I say as I copy a stance that I'd seen in some action movie or other, even though truthfully I don't know a lick of any form of martial arts.

"No! With the moon brat so close, I won't let anything get in the way!" I hear the thing hiss. I try to look as confident as possible, "then you'll have to get through me first!"

The creature just smirks, "Gladly." Suddenly it's right in my face, hands, if you can call them hands, around my neck as it lifts me a good foot or two off the ground. I start to see spots and all I think is 'There's no way that was enough time! I've got to stay awake, for Teri and the whole world's sake!'

I close my eyes to concentrate, hearing thunder in the distance and find it comforting some how. So I think about thunder in an effort to stay awake, I wrap myself in the loud booming sound like I would a blanket. Thoughts of lightning soon follow; flashing in time with the low rumbling which at this time is sounding in with my heart. As my mind concentrates while my body is slowly dying, I feel a power waiting within the thunder and lighting, like a pool just waiting to be dived into. So I slowly dip into the pool of hidden power, and I suddenly feel a new energy run through me. I feel more alive then I ever have before in my life. Like someone has super-charged my entire body.

My eyes fly open as a crack of thunder sounds. I force the monster away simply by tensing. I lift slightly off the ground, lightning circling me. As it passes over me I feel myself change...back. My glasses, which I've had to wear since third grade, disappear and I feel myself grow a good couple of inches while a single bolt of lightning gathers up my auburn hair and put into a high ponytail as my tiara appears across my forehead. The lightning closes in and becomes my uniform, thunder pealing each time. Finally the remaining lightning turns into a pink bow with a polished emerald in the middle and I lightly land back on the sand.

I look down at my now-gloved hands before flexing them, smirking, "Now this kind of uniform I can get used to." Before looking back to make sure that Teri is alright. She's about where she was last time I looked, Luna doing her best to drag her to safety and gaping at me at the same time.

I wink at her, "Guess I'm not just a Molly, huh?" I chuckle before becoming serious and turning to face the monster, who is presently struggling to get back up. "I told you that you didn't want to tick me off. You did, and now you're going to regret it." I say, flexing my fist and smirking satisfactorily at the crackling sound of the lightning around it.

The monster suddenly seems to lose quite a bit of confidence, "Wha...What are you?!"

I smirk, "Who me? Oh I'm no one special, just your worst nightmare." I say before focusing the lightning in my hand and throwing it with all my might at the monster, "Sparkling Wide Pressure!" The orb of electricity flies to the creature and hits it in the gut, making it screech in agony. The lightning then disperses as what is left of the thing crumbles to dust and I feel the energy that it had been able to steal from me mingle with the new-re-found power that now courses through my veins.

I flex my hands a couple of times before letting out a deep breath, letting myself relax. "How could I not see it? The Scout of Protection, one who always places others' safety before her own. Sailor Jupiter, Warrior of Lightning. I should have known when you pushed Teri out of the way." I turn to see Luna smiling up at me from her place beside Teri, who's slowly coming around. I smile at her and look at myself again, feeling really right about everything, how I look, how I feel, everything is right.

I walk over to Teri and kneel beside her, shaking her a little, "Hey, Teri, you ok? That thing looked like it took a big chunk of energy from you."

She groans and sits up slowly, rubbing her head, "Oh man, did you get the license plate number of that bus that hit me?"

I chuckle and stand up, holding a hand out to help her up, "Come on, I have a feeling Luna has some explaining to do." She looks up at me, opening her eyes for the first time.

Her mouth drops open, "M..Mel! You...You're..."

I smile, "A Scout?" I offer. "Yeah, it was a shocker for me too. And here I thought I'd get stuck as Molly." I chuckle before grabbing her hand and helping her up.

After she's up I look at my hands again. "What's wrong?" Luna asks.

I gulp and laugh nervously, "Oh nothing much, I just realized that I don't know how to transform back to normal!"

At this Luna falls over, which is actually pretty funny to watch. When she is able to stand again she looks at me with exasperation. "Close your eyes and think about changing back. That should do it."

I nod, blushing a little and feeling a tad stupid for asking. I do as she explained and thankfully I change back. Only difference from Teri is that I transform all the way back, glasses and all. "Well that wasn't what I expected." I say, looking myself over.

The only evidence of my transformation that I can see is the 'hair-tie' that holds my hair up.

"Well, that wasn't there before." Teri comments.

I tilt my head a little, "What?"

Teri stares at me, "Your forehead...it's..."

Before she can finish I run to one of the nearby windows of the park pavilion, groaning when I see what Teri was talking about, "Oh no..." There, etched on my forehead so it almost looks like an old scar, is the sign of Jupiter.

I groan again, "Oh man!" as Luna hops up on the sill, "What's wrong this time? You should be proud to wear your planet's sign on your brow. Jovians were a great and noble race, everyone knew a Jovian always keeps their word."

I sigh, "But Luna, people are gonna notice! And even if they don't, the enemy sure as heck will! I'll be a walking target!"

Luna thinks for a moment before sighing, "That may be a problem. But sooner or later all of the Scouts are going to be, to use your words, 'a walking target'. So you might as well get used to it now. At the moment, it's all we can do."

I sigh, "Great, so I'm a walking bulls-eye, well whatever. So, you mind answering my earlier question? Who's the enemy?"

Luna looks like she's about to say something, but decides against it, saying instead, "Honestly, I have no idea. And beyond gathering energy, their purpose is a mystery as well."

Teri tilts her head a little "Well, if we're not supposed to be kickin' monster behind, then what are we trying to do?"

Luna sighs, "Remember when I said Naoko Takeuchi almost got things right? Well, there was a major detail that was intentionally left out by the enemy. Your families were not the only ruling families on your respective planets. There were, on each planet, two ruling families. Together the two ruled better than any one could have alone. Now, in the Silver Millenium, a very peculiar thing happened. It happened that, on every planet, one ruling family had a girl as their eldest and the other had a boy. To celebrate this peculiarity, each planet pledged their heirs to be married on the moon princess' eighteenth birthday. Years passed and the lot of you grew together, becoming the best of friends and, at the appropriate age, began to feel natural affection for your promised. Indeed, when it was revealed to you on Teri's seventeenth birthday that in one year's time you would all be wed, none of you seemed the least bit hesitant.

Then the glorious day came, oh it was wonderful! But just as the festivities had started, they attacked. To this day I don't know who did it or why they did, but you all fought bravely, Princes and Princesses. But in the end, we were defeated, and you know the rest. Your mother sent us here and now we have three main objectives. First, we must find your fellow Scouts. Second, you must find your promised. And lastly, you must defeat the enemy at all costs."

I nod, "Got it. Friends, boyfriends, buttkicking. Sounds easy enough."

Teri sighs, "I don't know, the Sailor Moon that we grew up with never had an easy time with enemies. We should be careful."

I stare at her, "What?" she asks.

I continue to stare at her, "You...you just said we should be careful. I never thought I'd ever hear you say that!"

She almost says something but then looks like she realizes something, "You're right...woah."

Luna nods, "Well of course you're going to change. You now have an entire other part of your existence that you didn't before. You didn't think it would just be your appearance did you?"

I tilt my head, "Well, I guess that makes sense...but why'd I change back? Teri didn't."

Luna shakes her head, "I'm not sure, maybe it's because you didn't transform with your pen...or maybe only Teri will fully change until you find all the other Scouts. I really don't know, it could be any number of reasons."

"Okay, so basically you're as clueless as we are. So, anything else we should know about before I call Mom so I can go home? I'm not gonna cause a tornado when I have a nightmare or anything, will I?"

Luna chuckles softly, "Oh heavens no. It might rain a little when you're sad, but that's all. Nothing too drastic. Oh, and be on the lookout for stray animals."

I raise an eyebrow but nod, yawning a little, "Man, kicking monster butt takes a lot out of a person. I'm exhausted."

Luna nods, "It will be that way for a while until your body gets used to your awakened powers. Add in getting some of your energy stolen and it's a wonder you're still standing at all. Both of you should get some rest, you have a lot of work ahead of you."

"Shoot," Teri says, "I'm not one bit tired!" she argues even as she herself stifles a yawn.

I chuckle and go to a nearby payphone, get some change out of my pocket and call my mom to let her know to come and pick me up. I then return to Teri and Luna, who have gotten into and argument about school uniforms.

**AN Holy crap that's a lot of writing! Lol, well, there ya' go, the next chappie. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go to bed. 'Til next time, R&R please!**


	3. Dane

Chapter 3:Dane

It's so foggy that I can't even see my feet and am hard pressed to see any part of my legs whatsoever. I blink and suddenly I'm in a courtyard with walkways made of the most beautiful emerald. I'm wearing a simple dark green evening gown with a low neckline and slightly puffed short sleeves. My hands are together in front of me and I feel I'm waiting for someone. Suddenly a pair of arms find their way around my shoulders and someone hugs me from behind. I turn to see who it is and am greeted with a pair of lips and a soft kiss that I instinctively return.

Our lips separate and I look up at the person and can't help but smile as he gazes down at me, "I didn't think it was possible, but you're even more beautiful then usual. The rest of the guys are going to be insanely jealous." He says, causing me to blush slightly.

"I doubt it. They'll be to busy with the other princesses to be jealous of little ol' me."

The man, who I somehow know is the Prince of Jupiter, my beloved, holds me in his arms and kisses me gently again before smiling down at me, "Now what did I tell you about being humble like that? You're gorgeous, and you know it."

I smile back up at him, "Well, you don't look to bad yourself, love."

The prince beams and reaches down, touching his nose to mine, "I love it when you call me that."

I smile, totally at ease in his arms and I lay my head on his strong chest, "Well then, I'll just have to call you it more often."

He takes my chin gently with his forefinger and thumb, lifting my face so we are gazing into each others eyes, "What did I ever do to deserve a beauty like you?"

I smile and blush a little, "Well, whatever you did, I must have done the same thing to deserve you. I feel like the luckiest girl in the universe." I sigh and lay my head back on his chest, closing my eyes and just enjoying being in his arms.

Suddenly, his arms aren't around me any more, and I hear screaming around me along with the crackling of fire. I blink when I open my eyes again. I am on the moon, pressed against a marble pillar. I shake my head, clearing it from the confusion that clouds it. Something is very wrong. I run in the direction that people are coming from, knowing that that's where my friends, and my beloved, will be, transforming into my fuku as I go. The flow of people leads me to the palace, and I just get in the entryway when I run right into someone.

I slam into the floor before hurrying to get up. I then notice who I had slammed into. It is my beloved, badly wounded from fighting something powerful. I rush to his side as he struggles to sit up, "Love! What's happening?! Who's attacking?"

He looks up at me, panic written all over his face, "Beloved, you must get out of here. They're to powerful, you must escape while you have a chance!"

I shake my head, tears threatening to spill from my eyes, "Not without you love! I promised I would never leave your side and I won't!"

Just as I say this, a dark shadow creeps slowly towards him, burning yellow eyes that I notice just before it pounces, slashing at him with dark long claws. I watch in horror as the last of his life is ripped away from him. "No! Beloved! Beloved!"

I sit straight up in my bed, "Beloved!" I look around; I'm in my room, safe. I breathe heavily, pouring out sweat as I remember the nightmare. It felt so real. I look at my clock where the numbers 12:30 blare at me in a bright red light that I can make out even without my glasses. I rub my eyes to try and offset the headache I feel coming on. "I never remember this happening to the Scouts on the show." I grumble to myself as I yawn. I'm just about to turn over and go back to sleep when I heard a quiet scratching. I cock an eyebrow and grab my glasses. I can tell that the scratching is coming from the front door, **(A.N. I can hear it even though it's quiet because the way my home's set up my room is right next to the front door. I can actually look straight out of my window and see who is there, but here I'm not going to lol.)** I stomp out to the living room and look in the peephole. I have to stop myself from screaming.

Staring back at me was a light blue lizard-like eye. As I regain control of my breath, I hear a soft voice come from the other side of the door, "Princess? Princess? Princess, please, let me in; it's cold out here. Please Princess, this isn't good for my health, I'm cold-blooded. Cold-blooded and winter don't mix. Come on, open up."

I crawl to the door and put a hand on it, trying to get my heart and voice under control, "Wh...Who are you? What do you want?"

A moment of silence follows before the thing answers, sounding a little hurt, "You mean you don't remember me? I'm Dane, your advisor from the Silver Millenium. The one you hand picked and that never left your side, even when you wanted to be left alone."

I open my mouth to say that I don't remember anything like that when I'm hit with a flashback. I'm about six or so and my mother is holding my hand. "Alright little one, it's time to choose your guardian. It will be your best friend and advisor when you take over my role as queen." My mother's melodious voice rings down to me.

I smile and nod, "I know mamma. Just like your Europa right?"

She smiles gently and nods back, "That's right, just like Europa. Now go on, and remember, when you see the right one, you'll know it."

I nod and skip around the enclosure she'd brought me to, looking at all manner of animals. None of them really interest me, so I continue to skip by and am near the back when something catches my eye. It is a creamy green egg that has blue swirls on it. I tug on my mother's dress, "Mamma, what's that aminal? Its egg is as big as I am! It's pretty too."

My mother follows my pointing finger and stares at the egg for a few seconds before looking down at me, "Is that the one you want?"

I look at it again for a few seconds before looking back at my mother and nod, "Uh-huh, that's the one Mamma."

From that point the memories are more like a slide show, with short clips of various times in my life, growing up with a large, lizard-like creature. Then the word comes to me from across the rift of time, 'dragon'.

I blink and I'm back against the door. I quickly get up, unlock the door and open it. Looking back at me is a dragon, standing on its hind legs. It's skin is a beautiful emerald green that is offset by its sky-blue eyes. "Took you long enough Princess. I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever open up." He says with a note of humor in his voice.

I smile and fling myself at him, remembering how much he had meant to me. "Dane, I'm sorry. I just found out today who I really am, and I don't remember everything yet. I can't believe I forgot you!"

His small forearms wrap around me as best they can, and he lies his large head over my shoulder comfortingly, "I know. I just woke up today. Took a heck of a lot to find you, this is a big planet. Plus I had almost no idea where to start looking for you. I finally was able to track down Luna and she told me your address. I must have scratched for at least half an hour before I heard you wake up."

I back up so I can look into his eyes, blushing a little. "You heard that?"

I swear I see a glint of mischief in his eyes as he nods "Yep. Seems you've done a lot of remembering tonight, haven't you?"

I blush a little before I realize I'm shivering and back up so that Dane can come in. I shut the door behind him and usher him to my room, closing the door and turning on the light on. We both groan at the abrupt change in brightness, before I hop onto my bed and Dane stands beside me as I look him up and down. "We're going to have to do something about you, Mom's definitely going to notice a six-foot dragon."

Dane smiles, "Look like some of your memories are still incomplete. Dragons such as myself have a very unique talent. We're morphs."

I smirk and roll my eyes, "There's creativity for ya'. Gee, whatever can it mean?"

Dane smirks, raising an eyebrow (well, at least what might be able to be called an eyebrow) "Well one thing's for sure, you may not be so good in the memory department, but you're still as sharp as ever when it comes to sarcasm." While saying this, I notice that Dane is shrinking considerably. He's about the size of a small dog when he stops shrinking and the real change starts. His entire body changes, settling down on his front legs as well, neck and nose shortening while his eyes reposition themselves. Meanwhile, his tail has shortened considerably and shoots of fur start to pop out of his skin all over the place.

In a matter of seconds the six-foot dragon had melted down into a small cocker spaniel. I chuckle as he hops onto the bed and curls into my lap. "That could be useful. So, can you change into anything?"

From my lap Dane shakes his head, "No, I can only take the form of animals, and then I have to know what the animal looks like."

I nod, "Ok, that makes sense. So, can you turn into a human? I'm figuring you'll want to reinstate your 'never let me out of your sight' policy asap right?"

Dane sighs, "Of all the things you don't remember, that you do. Yes I can, and I'll be starting Monday. I plan to be in all your classes and sitting nearby you at all times."

I lean back, rolling my eyes, "Grreeat."

I then think of something and chuckles earning an inquisitive look from Dane, "What is it?"

I smirk down at him, "Oh, nothing. I just realized that you're gonna have to be a girl for one of my classes, I'm in Women's Chorus Dane."

His eyes widen and he clears his throat, "Yes...well...I'll just have to be an assistant or student teacher or something."

I smile and say, "Well, unless you wanna be a second soprano, you better figure something out before the weekend's out." I chuckle as Dane gives me a good-natured glare. I yawn, "Come on Dane, it's late and you've been working all day trying to find me. Let's get some sleep."

Dane chuckles, "Dragons don't sleep much Princess. Not to mention that I've spent the last who knows how long sleeping." He says, getting up and hopping off the bed before turning to look up at me with a smile, "Besides, I have work to do. You go to sleep Princess; you will probably need the rest. No one knows what lays beyond the horizon." With that he turns around and starts to pad out of the room.

He is almost out when I say, "Umm...Dane?"

He turns, "Yes Princess?"

I look at my hands for a second before looking at him again, "Don't go to far, okay?"

Dane smiles softly and nods, "As you wish Princess. Good night."

I smile before yawning, "Good night Dane. Until tomorrow." I sat as I turned out my light.

The last thing I hear is a soft, "Until tomorrow, my Princess." and the door softly closing as I drift off into a sweet slumber, feeling safer than I ever have knowing that Dane would be on guard. How could I not feel safe with a dragon protecting me?

**A.N. Just one quick note here. For a better idea of what Dane looks like, for all of you that have ever watched Zoids Choatic Century, think Zeke, with different colors.**

**Well, that's all for now. R&R please!**


	4. Homework and Another Dream

Chapter 4:Homework and Another Dream

The weekend passes with relative regularity, with the exception of now having a dog to take care of, but even that isn't to hard. Dane pretty much takes care of himself, I only have to take him for walks, usually long ones, which wasn't all bad. We talk about various things, the Silver Millenium, my life on Earth up to this point, who we think the enemy is, and also just miscellaneous stuff. I find myself not minding the biting cold wind as much while trying to worm out of him what he was going to what he was going to look like as a human or listening to stories of my childhood that I have long forgotten. Finally, Sunday night comes and Dane finds me scrambling to do my homework. "Princess! It's an hour before you have to go to bed, what are you doing, doing your homework now?! You should've started that Friday afternoon!"

I roll my eyes, still scrambling while trying to talk to him, "I know, I know. I was relaxing when I saw it, I forgot, ok? Look, check my Geometry would ya'? I think some of my proofs are off."

Dane sighs before jumping onto my bed and cracking open the math book with his mouth. We work in silence for a while before it gets to me and I try to start a conversation. "So, was I like this back then? With school work I mean."

Dane doesn't look up as he replies, "You did number five wrong, and a little. More so when you were a teen. I remember almost having to pull teeth to get you to do your studies. It's not that you were unintelligent, far from it. I think studying honestly just bored you. School work never really challenged you, so you spend more time amusing yourself than actually doing the work."

I sigh as I struggle with conjugating fifty million verbs for Spanish, "That's sure not true now. I have to almost work more than play just to keep up."

Dane finally closes my math book and pads over, somehow finding a comfortable position in my lap, "I find that difficult to believe princess. Maybe you're just holding yourself back, so the work will be challenging. Don't worry, starting tomorrow if you have any questions regarding scholastic matters I'll be able to help at least a little more than I have tonight."

I finally put my Spanish aside and lean back, relieved that I'm done. I glance at my clock and smile, done with ten minutes to spare. "That reminds me, have you found a way around your choir conundrum? I've been wondering about that."

Dane clears his throat before answering, "Yes, the school saw how much a student teacher helped earlier in the year, so they decided to try another one. They chose the best one based on credentials. Unfortunately, his classes keep him very busy so he will only be able to come in for one period."

I smirk, "Oh, you sly fox you!"

Dane tries to look innocent, which looks absolutely comical on that little dog face of his, "Who? Me? Princess, why ever would you think that? Now come princess, it's time for bed."

I roll my eyes as I get ready to go to bed, afterwards glancing down the hall to see my brothers already ready. I walk to my mom's room and say good night before continuing on to my brothers' room. I tuck Caleb in and exchange a few last sarcastic words with Zac before turning out the light and going back to my room.

I crawl into bed and Dane hops up beside me, "Princess, I noticed that you did this last night as well. Is it custom in this culture for the eldest to put the younger siblings into bed?"

I chuckle as I settle down and turn off the light beside my bed, "Not really. One night Caleb asked me to and I didn't feel like arguing. He did it night after night for about a week before it just kinda worked into my routine. It's not that big of a deal, really." I shrug as I take off my glasses and turn on the alarm on my clock.

As my eyes adjust to the dark, I see Dane smiling at me, "it's good to see your heart has lost none of its kindness and compassion. Good night princess, see you in the morning." He says, trotting to the foot of my bed and curling up.

"Good night Dane." I say, knowing that he wasn't sleeping and wasn't planning on going to sleep anytime soon. I know that as I fall asleep it's under his watchful eye.

Which is good, considering the nightmare I had Saturday. It was the same dream as Friday's, only it didn't start wonderful. It started at the palace and went only a little further, but it was a hundred times worse. After my beloved's life was ripped from his body, the shadow turned to me, yellow eyes bored into me greedily. I panicked and ran, my heart ripping itself apart in agony. I got to the man courtyard and stopped dead cold. They were all dead. My friends, all on the ground, bloody with vacant staring eyes. I then turned and there behind me was an army of yellow eyes, all greedy for blood. Slowly the thousands upon thousands of eyes and forms melt into one giant black image, towering over me and laughing evilly with a loud booming voice that shook me to my soul, "Now, little Jupiter, you know what fear is. You cannot win, so give up and accept death. Leave me to reign over this pathetic star system."

I closed my eyes and fists, forcing the gear from my soul before opening my eyes again; "You've killed everyone I ever cared about. I'll make you pay!" With that I poured everything I was into one attack, intent on avenging my loved ones.

The figure just laughed, "Pathetic." The held its hand out and a burst of dark energy flew at me, completely engulfing my attack before heading straight at me. I was terrified as I watched it come at me.

I woke up just as it hit, to see Dane had reverted to his natural form and was looking down at me worriedly, "Princess, are you alright?" I just looked at him for a moment before sobbing into his chest.

I shudder as I think about it and turn over, hoping I won't dream tonight.


	5. Waking Up and First Period

Chapter 5: Waking Up and Links

I get my wish, it seems like as soon as I fall asleep my alarm is going off and Dane is pulling the covers off of me. "Come now princess, time to wake up. You only have twenty minutes to get ready!"

I yawn and groan, "Come on Dane, five more minutes please?"

"No, now come on. Don't want to be late now would we?"

I groan as I sit up and put on my glasses, yawning once again, "Alright, I'm up. Now shoo, you royal pain in the butt."

Dane just smirks, "Whatever is needed to get you out of bed." Then he leaves, closing the door somehow behind him, leaving me yawning and grumbling.

I get out of bed and almost pick out an outfit before my eyes catch a flash of red and green and I groan. I'd forgotten about the uniforms. I grumble as I put mine on, not wanting to think about how cold I'll be as I wait for the bus. I gather up my stuff and walk out of my room, putting everything on the dining room table. I then go to check on Zac, to find him still asleep. I go over and shake him awake, "Zac! Come on, we've got ten minutes! Wake up!"

He sits straight up, "Crap! Why didn't you wake me up sooner?"

I just roll my eyes and leave him to get dressed, mumbling about how if he set his alarm clock he wouldn't have that problem. I'm struggling to get my coat on when he comes out to the living room, half-hopping as he tries to walk and get his shoes on at the same time. I throw his coat to him and then his backpack, gathering my stuff up as well.

I let Zac rush out first and then quickly look around for Dane. I can't find him so I leave, figuring he was probably already at the bus stop. I raise an eyebrow when I don't see any new faces once I reach it, and worry that he missed the bus all the way to school. I get to school and am walking to the door when I'm nearly tackled from behind, "What the...?"

I turn around and face a boy about my age, a couple inches taller then me with blue eyes and black hair that at first glance looks like it has green highlights in it or something. I decide to give this guy a chance, so I flash a smile "Can I help you?"

The guy smiles with a glint of mischief in his eyes; "You don't recognize me, do you?"

I raise an eyebrow, feeling the faintest tugging in the back of my mind that I should know this guy. **(AN Ok, yeah, I'm thick, but give me a break, my brain doesn't wake up until about an hour into the school day lol.) **I decide to play it safe so I say, "Gimme a hint."

The guy just chuckles, shaking his head, "You'll figure it out. I'm hanging around 'til you do."

I sigh, "Fine, whatever. But if you start stalking me at night, I'm calling the cops."

The guy apparently thinks this is the funniest thing he's ever heard, because he starts laughing his fool head off as we walk into the school. I immediately make a b-line in the lunchroom to the table where my friends and I always meet, my stalker close behind.

Teri walks in and over to the table too a few minutes later, smiling at the guy who'd taken up residence in the seat next to me, "So Deb, who's your new friend?"

I'm about to say that I have no clue but the guy pipes up, sticking out a hand for her to shake, "I'm her cousin from out of state. Just moved her over the weekend, took forever to find the place. Finally I had to give up and crash at Deb's, but now I'm all moved in and ready for school."

Teri nods, "Cool. I never knew that Deb had family out of state."

"Neither did I." I mutter, though no one seems to hear me.

Teri continues, "So, are you living here alone?"

My stalker nods, "Yeah, one day I just woke up and knew I needed to move, so I did."

All of this is sounding very familiar, just like this guy's voice, "Well," I say, seizing an opportunity I'd seen present itself, "don't just stand there. Introduce yourself 'cuz'." I then close my eyes to try and help myself concentrate so I can place his voice.

"Oh, of course, where are my manners? My name is Geny. Dane Geny."

My eyes pop open and I look him over again in shock. I have to keep myself quiet as Teri replies, "Right. Well, I'm Teri, and this is Ryan and Tassie." She says, motioning to each person. "Welcome to Warsaw. Hope you don't get bored easily."

Dane runs his hand through his hair and smiles, "Thanks, I just hope that I don't get lost. This school's a lot bigger then my old one."

I roll my eyes, "You won't get lost, almost all of your classes are with me. Just follow me and you'll be fine."

Dane nods, "Right. When do we need to be in class anyways? Don't want to be late to class on my first day."

I look at my watch and nearly swallow my tongue, "Shoot! Guys we gotta go now! We've got three minutes!" We quickly say good-bye to each other before hauling off, me dragging Dane behind me. I get to class in a record minute and a half, gasping for breath by the time we got to class. I walk to my teacher after I catch my breath, "Mrs. Heiden, this is my cousin Dane. He transferred over the weekend."

I then leave him to get settled and answer various questions to sit down, yawning in the process. Spanish 3 first thing in the morning is definitely not a good thing. When he's finally settled, Dane somehow manages to get it so he's sitting right beside me, smiling like anything. I wonder what the heck he's smiling about.

'_Just trying to make your world a little brighter princess.'_

My eyes snap from the chalkboard to Dane and I raise an eyebrow. He yawns and places his head on his hand and I almost think that it was my imagination going nuts on me when I see him lightly tap his forehead and lightly wink. I suddenly understand and tentatively try it out.

'_You mean we can talk telepathically?'_

He nods as if agreeing with the teacher but replies,

'_Yes. Your mother thought it best if we were linked in case you ever got into trouble.'_

'_Ok, that makes sense, I guess. So, you seem to be understanding this pretty well. Spanish around back in the Silver Millenium or you just a quick study.'_

Dane seems to wince before saying,

'_Please princess, use proper English. Jargon is harsh on my mind's ear. I am a fast learner, so I borrowed your book while you were asleep the last couple of nights. Plus, this language has its roots in languages that were around in the Silver Millenium, so I already know the basic groundwork.'_

I nod, shrugging a bit as well. It made sense, though it still felt strange, having a dragon bodyguard that no one knew about but me. Today would certainly be interesting.


	6. Choir and Unpleasant Memories

Chapter 6: Choir and Unpleasant Memories

Things go on like this for the next three periods, Dane asking if he didn't quite understand something, me answering and just talking like we were on one of our walks. Finally fourth period comes around and with it, Women's Chorus. Dane got to the men's room to 'change' so I go on to the choir room. I get my music from the closet and go to my seat.

Teri happily plops down beside me, "So, tell me about him."

I don't get what she's talking about at first, but then it dawns on me and I shrug, "There's not much to know about him, why are you interested?"

Teri shrugs in response, "I'm just curious, it's not everyday I meet your family."

I roll my eyes good-naturedly, "Please, you see my brothers every time you come over and you see my cousin Kyle practically every day in the halls."

"Yeah, but they're not cute." Teri blurts out before blushing.

I grin, "I knew it! You're getting a crush on him, aren't you?"

Teri blushes even deeper, "Maybe. He is really cute."

I chuckle, "What about Darien?" I tease her.

Teri smiles, "I think he may be the real Darien."

I nearly fall out of my chair from the combination of shock and intense laughter that I can't stop because of the images of my best friend and my guardian in his true form getting married that flood my mind, "Dane, the real Darien? Teri, I hate to tell you this, but that's not possible."

Teri frowns, "Really, why is that?"

I open my mouth to answer but am interrupted by the bell and Mr. Avery, our director, "Alright class, get to your seats. I'll take attendance and then I have an announcement to make."

I lean over to Teri and whisper, "I'll tell you later, but trust me, he can't be." I then lean back and yawn as Mr. Avery takes attendance.

Suddenly, there's a bright flash of light and I'm back on Jupiter, but younger then in my other memories. I'm at a ball of some sort and the prince of Jupiter's standing in front of me, his hand extended towards me, "Come on, give me just one dance, please?"

I want to say yes, but hear myself say instead, "No way. I didn't want to come to this stupid thing in the first place. I am not dancing. Not with anyone else and certainly not with you!" I then turn and stomp out. I want to go back to him, to dance with him, but my body won't allow me to, and I feel as if I'm a prisoner in it.

Another flash occurs and when it fades it's a few months after the first memory. How I know how much time has elapsed, I don't know, but I do anyways. This time I'm on my bedroom balcony, sitting in a chair and watching the stars.

Suddenly the Jovian prince is on the ground, calling up to me, "Princess, would you care for a moonlit stroll? Sure a short walk through the garden isn't to much to ask, is it?"

Once again my body acts in a way against my will and I sigh, "Go away Cade, I'm not going to go anywhere with you. How long are you going to keep this up?"

Cade looks to the ground before shuffling towards the gate. He's almost out and my heart goes out to him when he turns and says, "Until you love me like I love you." before leaving entirely.

Yet another flash, this time longer, accompanied by a strange, high-pitched ringing sound. Just as the bright white light starts to fade, I hear Dane's voice, distant and echoey, like he was saying something from across a canyon, "Princess, remember, sometimes what you're looking for is right under your nose."

The light continues to fade and I hear various voices calling out to me. They sound urgent, worried, I wonder what they're so worried about. Everything goes black and I know that the ride's over, I'm back in the present. I groan and open my eyes to find the entire class looking at me worriedly. Mr. Avery asks cautiously, "Melody, are you okay?"

I blink and then nod, "Yeah, yeah, I'm okay, I'm alright."

Mr. Avery doesn't look convinced; "Do you want to go down to the nurse?"

I close my eyes and try to offset the headache I feel coming like a freight train, "Yeah, I think I should." I get the pass and go down to the nurse's office, telling the nurse on duty that I have a killer headache before laying down, praying that I can sleep through this thing.


End file.
